Australian Dangerous Animals

You’ve probably already heard that the friendly and inviting Australia
can be a dangerous place with its deadly sharks and crocodiles,
dangerous snakes, spiders, and jellyfish.

And yes it’s right, all these
animals
live here and can be life threatening. But 20 million people live
happily in this country so there is no reason to panic.

Saltwater Crocodile. Poster by AllPosters. Click on
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Dangerous
Animals
on the Land

There are not so many dangerous land animals, but the most infamous
ones are our snakes and spiders.

Australian Venomous Snakes
It is true that we have some of the world’s most venomous snakes,
like taipan snakes,
death adders, and king brown snakes,
to name a
few. But the good news is that the most venomous Australian snakes are
not agressive. They don't normally come to bite you unless you step on
them or corner and threaten them. Make enough noise when you walk in
the bush and they'll get out of your way. Wear proper boots and long
pants, and watch your steps so you don't step on one.

Taipan. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to buy

The World's Deadliest Spiders
Australia also has
the reputation to have the world's deadliest spiders.
The truth,
however, is that no spider deaths have occured in Australia during the
past 30-40 years, since the last antivenoms became available. Sydney
Funnel Web, Redback
and
White Tailed Spider
are the
most infamous ones,
and while they do make you sick, they are not anymore really deadly
because the antivenom will save you. You still have to get to the
hospital to get the antivenom, so if you are somewhere remote you still
have to take care. It's best to take care anyway, by not sticking your
fingers into dark corners, and avoiding funnel-looking and three
dimensional nets.

A harmless spider. Poster by AllPosters. Click on
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Mosquito Deseases: Dengue Fever and Ross River Fever
Another thing that can be dangerous is getting one of the
mosquito-borne diseases.
We
don't have malaria. Ross
River Fever is annoying but not life threatening. Dengue
Fever, however, can develop to life threatening conditions with a
bit of bad luck. Dengue fever is only found in Queensland, particularly
north Queensland, and it comes in outbreaks.

Dangers
in the
Water

While there weren't so many dangerous land animals, there are plenty in
the water! The ocean is a much more dangerous environment in Australia
than the land.

Dangerous Animals: Australian Sharks
If you look at the statistics of animal deaths in Australia, sharks are
the most deadly animals in Australia. There are many species of them,
but only three Australian
sharks are dangerous to
humans. The most infamous is the Great
White, also called White
Pointer, and the other two are Bull
Shark and Tiger
Shark.
The only way to avoid them is not to go to the deep water, so divers
and surfers take a risk, and every now and then, most often in southern
parts of Australia, one of them is taken.

Great White Shark. Poster by AllPosters. Click on
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Dangerous Animals: Australian CrocodilesCrocodiles
are probably the second most deadly animals. There are two
species of them in Australia, but only the larger, the Saltwater
Crocodile is able and willing to kill a human for food. They are
incredibly quick and strong, and once they grab you and get a
good hold on you, your chances are very slim unless you have help from
other
people. They are found in northern Western Australia, Northern
Territory and Queensland. What you can do is to be careful around
creeks and rivers as well as the ocean water. Simply don't go close to
it, even if you cannot see a crocodile. The dangerous crocodiles are
the ones you cannot see!

Saltwater Crocodile. Poster by AllPosters. Click on
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Dangerous Animals: Different Types of Jellyfish
There are many different species and types
of jellyfish in
Australia. The only two that can kill you are Box Jellyfish and
Irukandji. Box Jellyfish has been described as the most poisonous
animal in the world with the most painful sting that the victims have
ever experienced, while the sting of Irukandji can apparently even go
unnoticed.

Both can kill a human, and both are found in northern
Australian waters during the summer months (Wet Season). There are
stinger nets on the beaches during those months, but as they don't
protect you 100%, it's actually smartest to not even go into the ocean
water. If you get stung, pour vinegar on the wounds and ring the
ambulance.

Box Jellyfish. Poster by AllPosters. Click on thumbnail to
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Other Dangers on Australian Beaches
And there are more dangrous things on Australian
beaches. Sun
exposure
itself is dangerous in Australia as it causes skin cancer much easier
than the sun in the Northern Hemisphere (because of the strentgth of
the sun as well as the fact that we have a thinner ozone layer). In the
water there can be rip
currents,
so make sure you swim between the flags where life savers have an eye
on you. And on top of that, we have a myriad of small stingy, poisonous
or otherwise nasty water
creatures
that I haven't mentioned yet: cone shells, stone fish, fire fish,
stingrays, marine snakes and blue ringed octopus only to name a few.
You know what I mean by saying that the ocean is the dangerous
environment in Australia, not the land.

Using this Website

Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.

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